Hi all- 2003 SS was driving fine yesterday. Went into store, came out ten minutes later and check engine light was on. Car sounded like a powerboat and had reduced power. Code reader says PO300 random engine misfire.

Also noticed that pipe into catalytic converter was glowing red!

Any thoughts before I head to mechanic?

Does it sound like I'm in for big bucks repair?

Thanks,

Jeff

 

If the pipe going into the cat is that hot, the cat could be plugged.

 

x2, cat sounds shot. But why is the cat shot?

You probably have had a fuel issue for a little while now, car running rich, and all of that excess unburned fuel messed up your catalytic.

You'll be looking for a new cat, and figuring out why it went bad in the first place (bad MAF, bad oxygen sensor?, failing FPR)

 

Glowing cat is a clogged cat. Get that addressed ASAP! If it is clogged, exhaust gases are not leaving the system as they should and the result can be misfiring.



As for other issues, it could be something caused it to fail and it could be just it's time. Any other codes present?